Afghan military forces caught up in heavy clashes with insurgents in southern Helmand's Sangin district have appealed for air support.

Despite troops having managed to reopen some roads to the provincial capital Lashkargah the ongoing clashes have led them to request support.

"To strengthen the military forces on the battle filed we need air support to target the insurgents," said a soldier from the front line.

Mohammad Moean Faqiri, deputy head of 201 Maiwand Military Corps, said a number of villages have been cleared of insurgents in Sangin and forces are able to move forward.

"The operation was launched under the name of Khanjar [dirk] and so far the security forces have been able to clear several villages and taken control of the area. We are moving slowly to protect civilians," Faqiri said.

Abdul Jabar Qahraman, the head of the military operation in Helmand, said: "We are trying to re-open the road from Sangin into Lashkargah. The military operation still continues and we want to provide security for the high way."

[Khaama (Afghanistan)] Two loyalists of the terrorist group of Islamic State...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... (IS) which is also known by its Arabic name Daesh [Islamic State] have been killed by their own explosives in eastern NangarharThe unfortunate Afghan province located adjacent to Mohmand, Kurram, and Khyber Agencies. The capital is Jalalabad. The province was the fief of Younus Khalis after the Soviets departed and one of his sons is the current provincial Taliban commander. Nangarhar is Haqqani country.. province.

According to a statement released on Wednesday by the spokesperson of Nangarhar police, the incident took place in Mazdaki village of Achin district.

"Two Daesh [Islamic State]gunnies have been killed and three others maimed in the kabooms of their two home-made bombs in the jurisdiction of Mazdaki of Achin district," states Colonel Hazrat Hussain Mashriqiwal’s statement.

Even though, the Ministry of Defense says they have cleared all villages of Achin district from the presence of Daesh [Islamic State] during the ongoing military offensive ‘Operation Shaheen 18’ but it is believed that the group still has a strong presence in the area.

[Khaama (Afghanistan)] 3 people lost lives and 19 others sustained injuries when armed holy warriors attacked Indian consulate in Jalalabad city, capital of eastern NangarharThe unfortunate Afghan province located adjacent to Mohmand, Kurram, and Khyber Agencies. The capital is Jalalabad. The province was the fief of Younus Khalis after the Soviets departed and one of his sons is the current provincial Taliban commander. Nangarhar is Haqqani country.. province, around 12 pm on Wednesday.

One of the 5 attackers detonated his explosives to blow up the barricades in front of the front gate of the consulate in order to pave way for other attackers to storm the consulate.

However,a person who gets all wrapped up in himself makes a mighty small package... they were bumped off by security forces during a brief shootout.

There was no casualties to Indian diplomats and consulate employees but it left a policeman and two civilians killed and 19 others maimed including women and kiddies.

14 victims who sustained light injuries were discharged from the hospital but five others are still admitted at Nangarhar Regional Hospital whose wounds are severe.

The area, also home to other diplomatic missions, has repeatedly come under attack in recent months.

In January, faceless myrmidons of the so-called 'Islamic State...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... of Iraq and the Levant' (ISIL) takfiri...an adherent of takfir wal hijra, an offshoot of Salafism that regards everybody who doesn't agree with them as apostates who most be killed... group grabbed credit for a deadly gun and bomb siege targeting the nearby Pak consulate in Jalalabad, the first major attack by the group in an Afghan city.

Wednesday's attack comes as direct peace talks are expected to start this week between the Afghan government and the Taliban.

A groups calling itself “Revolutionaries of the Revolution’s Squares” has threatened to attack members of the planned State Council who have been meeting in the capital. Speaking today on Nabaa TV channel, owned by radical Islamist Abdulhakim Belhaj, they described the series of meetings held by the council as a conspiracy. Its aim, they said, was a split among the revolutionaries.

They also claimed that responsibility for any bloodshed that might occur in Tripoli would lie with what they called “the dissidents and supporters of Kobler’s conspiracy”. The State Council meetings were a coup on the revolution, they said. They added they knew where the meetings were talking place and that they were ready to make “crucial decisions” to deal with the challenge.

The threat follows a meeting of 53 Congress members who are also members for the State Council. At the meeting, they said that they were 100-percent behind the Libyan Political agreement (LPA) and which now had to be be implemented.

In a statement read out by Hay Al-Andalus congressman and member of the present state council member, Abdulrahaman Al-Shater, and broadcast by the LPC Panorama satellite channel, members said they were determined to end the nationwide crisis and support the government of national accord led by Faiez Serraj. They also said that it had to operate from Tripoli.

Shater also called on the international community to continue its backing on Libyan unity.

At least six people were killed and two others injured in deadly clashes near the Tunisian town of Ben Guerdane between armed militants who had crossed from Libya and Tunisian army and security forces today. The militants are believed to be Islamic State supporters fleeing from Sabratha after the US air raid on some of their facilities there and last week’s subsequent clashes with locals.

Five militants, believed to be three Tunisians and two Libyans, died when they clashed with Tunisian security forces and army. It was reported on social media that two of them blew themselves up inside a house in which they had tried to hide. A Ben Guerdane local was killed by a stray bullet. A Tunisian colonel and security official were also injured in the operation which lasted for five hours.

Eleven militants altogether are said to have crossed into Tunisia using four-wheel drive vehicles.

A Ben Guerdane local who asked to remain anonymous told the Libya Herald that the operation took place in open farmland in the Awiji area, a few kilometres south of Ben Guerdane. The area has traditionally been associated with illegal smuggling from Libya.

Tunisian security officials say they seized five Kalashnikovs, three 4WD vehicles, ammunition, hand grenades and mobile phones among other items in the possession of the armed group. They also discovered an arms cache in the area where the weapons were found.

Several Tunisian media sources reported that some of the armed group members forced their way into nearby houses and hostage some of the occupants.

Army reinforcements were sent after a Ben Guerdane resident alerted security officials about the presence of the group in the Awiji area.

Belhassen Weslati, the spokesman of Tunisian Ministry of Defence, told Watania 1 TV station tonight that they saturated the area in which the “terrorist elements” took shelter, staging a wide sweeping operation.

Yasser Mosbah, from the Tunisian Ministry of Interior media department, speaking on the same channel, claimed that the infiltrators were IS members who had survived the 19 February US airstrike at Sabratha and the subsequent clashes between IS and local forces. Over 40 IS fighters, almost all of them Tunisians, died in the airstrike.

It had been expected that militants from Sabratha would try to flee to Tunisia, he added, Following today’s operation, Tunisian air force fighter planes have been patrolling the buffer zone along the border.

Saudi joint forces were able to deal with the attack through direct and indirect fire, involving special forces, and managed to seize a variety of shells, ammunition and medical supplies that were hidden in a cave used by the militias for storage.

Soddy backed forces in Yemen have made fresh progress to the east of the capital Sana’a after engaging in confrontation against militias of the ousted president and Houthis in Naham directorate.

A source said this advancement is coming in conjunction with arrival of new military equipment.

Major General Mohsen Khser of the Yemeni army told the Arabic newspaper Al Bayan that the decision to liberate Sana’a has been taken and there is no retreat in it. The legitimate forces are advancing towards the directorate of Al Baka’a in Sa’adah governorate.

He said Yemeni military forces in Naham had reached regions of Al Dabouah and Bait Qatran and added that and they are only a few kilometres from Al Sama military base in Arhab directorate.

He added that coup troops have suffered tremendous casualties as a result of air raids of the Arab coalition which targeted their sites in Sana'a and Ta’aiz, Sa’adah and Jawf.

It is believed that military experts from Iran and Hezbollah were killed in coalition raids on militia sites and positions in Sa’adah in the past few days.

Brigadier Ahmed Asiri stressed the Arab coalition forces do not differentiate between forces of ousted President Ali Saleh and Al Qaida and Houthi militias.

[TODAYSZAMAN] A Saudi-led bloc of six Gulf Arab nations formally branded Hezbollah a terrorist organization on Wednesday, ramping up the pressure on the Lebanese krazed killer group fighting on the side of Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-AssadHorror of Homs... in Syria.

The move by the Gulf Cooperation Council comes less than two weeks after Soddy Arabia...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... announced it was cutting $4 billion in aid to Lebanese security forces. The kingdom and other Gulf states followed up that move by urging its citizens to leave Leb, dealing a blow to the tiny nation's tourism industry.

A statement from GCC Secretary-General Abdullatif al-Zayani said the bloc decided to implement the terrorist designation because of hostile acts by Hezbollah within its member states. It said the designation applies to the krazed killer group as well as all its leaders, factions and affiliates.

Al-Zayani accused Hezbollah of charges including seeking to recruit members within the GCC to carry out terrorist acts, smuggling weapons and explosives, and incitement to sow disorder and violence.

Those activities within GCC member states and in Syria, Yemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of. Except for a tiny handfull of Jews everthing there is very Islamic...and Iraq "are incompatible with the values and moral and humanitarian principles and international law, and pose a threat to Arab national security," he said.

The GCC includes Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates..., Bahrain and Oman.

Leb's main political divide pits a Sunni-led coalition against another led by the Shiite Hezbollah movement, which includes both political and military wings. The Mediterranean country has weathered a string of krazed killer attacks in recent years linked to the war in neighboring Syria.

[USATODAY] Rahmanjan Safy scrambled to salvage anything valuable from the demolished tents and makeshift shelters at this Calais migrant camp Wednesday, even as riot police and bulldozers destroyed the site.

Food, clothing, spoons -- he picked up everything he could find.

Safy, 25, from Jalalabad, Afghanistan, has been in La Belle France since 2009. He once lived in this camp but now works with an organization that helps the migrants colonists and refugees. Driving his big white truck, he moved these precious commodities to a section of the camp still intact, so people could still use them.

"I once was in the same situation as them," he said. "I never forgot. I want to help them."

A judge gave the green light last week for the French government to tear down part of the Calais "Jungle," as the camp is commonly called, but riots broke out this week amid the resulting chaos.

Police and bulldozers began pushing migrants colonists out of tents and temporary shelters Monday, tearing apart the ad hoc camp that houses an estimated 6,000 people.

Camp residents fought back, starting fires and attacking police with rocks. The situation Wednesday was calmer, if not less tense. Confusion, uncertainty and sorrow still hang over the camp and the people who have no place to go.

The ship that was seized Sunday by Greek authorities was not carrying weapons or explosives and was not headed for Leb, a media report said on Wednesday.

Quoting unnamed sources, Leb's Future TV said the ship was headed for Africa and that it did not contain weapons but rather "hunting rifles."

Greek authorities have allowed the ship to continue its sailing, the TV network added.

Voice of Leb radio (93.3) meanwhile said that the ship is owned by the Lebanese nationals Mohammed Amin and Kamal Kashef, who both hail from the northern city of Tripoli...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn..."During interrogation, the two men revealed that the ship has been leased to a Turkish firm and that it was only carrying hunting rifles and related ammunition," VDL added, without saying where the two men were interrogated.

[Daily Excelsior] Three murderous Moslems of Hizbul Mujahideen have been trapped in Dadsar village of South Kashmire’s Tral area where security forces are battling against residents as well, who are throwing stones at them, to facilitate murderous Moslems to flee from the cordon.

Police and Army’s 42-RR cordoned off Mir Mohalla of Dadsar and conducted searches in the village after they received information about presence of three Lion of Islams. They have been identified as Mohammad Asif of Dadsar, Ashiq Hussain of Bahu Sharsu and Sabzar Ahmad of Ratsuna Tral of Hizbul Mujahideen outfit.

As the security forces zeroed in near a residential house where 3 murderous Moslems are trapped, locals pelted stones on security forces leading to festivities.

Police fired teargas shells to quell the protests and also fired few aerial gunshots. However,a lie repeated often enough remains a lie... the protesters continued to pelt stones in order to give safe passage to Lion of Islams.

The cordon around the village has been tightened to prevent murderous Moslems from fleeing.

[DAWN] QUETTA: The security forces in Balochistan...the Pak province bordering Kandahar and Uruzgun provinces in Afghanistan and Sistan Baluchistan in Iran. Its native Baloch propulation is being displaced by Pashtuns and Punjabis and they aren't happy about it... claimed to have killed seven suspected Lions of Islam during operations carried out in Kech and Kohlu districts of the province on Wednesday.

Four suspected Lions of Islam were killed during an exchange of fire in Kohlu district in the evening, while there suspects, including a key commander of the outlawed Baloch Republican Army (BRA), were killed in Kech district earlier in the day.

The front man for Frontier Constabulary, Khan Wasey, said the miscreants killed in Kohlu district belonged to an outlawed murderous Moslem organization operating in the area. Two suspects were maimed during exchange of fire.

He said five sanctuaries were also demolished during the search operation in the aftermath of the killings. A cache of arms and ammunition was also recovered from the possession of suspected murderous Moslems, said Wasey.

Earlier, the security forces acted on a tip-off regarding the presence of Lions of Islam in Dasht area of district Kech and killed three miscreants belonging to the BRA.

Wasey said a key murderous Moslem commander of the banned outfit was also among the dead and added that security forces had also recovered weapons from their possession.

The front man further said the Lions of Islam were involved in killings of labourers working at Shadi Kor Dam.

[ARA News] ERBIL – Militant fighters of the Islamic State (ISIS) launched on Wednesday an offensive on positions for the Kurdish Peshmerga forces in northern Iraq, using rockets filled with chlorine gas, officials said.

“Peshmerga positions in the Khazir district east of Mosul have been exposed to a new offensive at the hands of Daesh terrorists,” Khalid Razazi, a spokesman for the Peshmerga, told ARA News in Erbil, using an acronym for ISIS.

At least nine Kurdish Peshmerga soldiers were killed and four more wounded in the attack.

The official pointed out that the injured have been transferred to a hospital in Erbil for treatment, “where investigations confirmed that the rockets fired by Daesh had been filled with chlorine gas”.

He added that the affected soldiers suffered burning in their noses and throats, and experienced vomiting subsequent to the attack.

“The Peshmerga responded to the offensive by bombing Daesh strongholds in Mosul with heavy artillery. Scores of terrorists were killed in the operation,” the Peshmerga spokesman told ARA News.

[ARA News] DERIK – Kurdish security forces of the Asayish arrested on Wednesday a group of gunmen linked to the Islamic State (ISIS) radical group in the city of Derik (Malikiyah) in Syria’s northeastern Hasakah province.

Five pro-ISIS gunmen were arrested in a security raid by the Asayish in the Suwediya sub-district of Derik.

“Our forces have arrested all members of the pro-ISIS sleeper cell in Suwediya on Wednesday evening,” the Asayish leadership said in a statement.

It added that explosive devices and ammunition were found in the building that was raided by the Kurdish security.

“The suspects have been preparing to launch terror attacks on Kurdish headquarters in the area,” the Asayish said, adding: “The initial interrogations confirmed their affiliation with ISIS terrorist group.”

(IraqiNews.com) Kirkuk – A security source in Kirkuk province said on Wednesday, that a police officer was killed in a militant attack that took place in Sharka area east of Kirkuk.

The source reported for IraqiNews.com, “This evening, unidentified gunmen driving a modern vehicle opened fire from their weapons against an officer in Kirkuk Police while passing in the area of Sharka east of Kirkuk, resulting in his immediate death.”

The source, who requested anonymity, added, “A force from the police transferred the dead body to the forensic medicine department at Azadi General Hospital, while opened an investigation into the circumstances of the incident.”

(IraqiNews.com) Nineveh – A local source in Nineveh revealed on Wednesday, that a girl belonging to the so-called ISIS executed five women in western Nineveh.

The source reported by IraqiNews.com, “This evening, a 12-year-old girl belonging to the so-called ISIS executed five women, including a doctor who refused to medicate ISIS members that were wounded in a coalition’s bombardment, by firing squad in al-Ghazlani Camp.”

“This execution is considered to be the first of its kind to be implemented by a small girl within ISIS,” the source added.

(IraqiNews.com) Nineveh – A source in Nineveh Province announced on Wednesday, that seven members of the so-called ISIS were killed in a bombardment carried out by the international coalition aviation north-east of Mosul (405 km north of Mosul).

The source said in a press statement obtained by IraqiNews.com, “Today the international coalition aircrafts bombed the headquarters of ISIS in Kabrli village in Hamdaniya District (40 km north east of Mosul), killing seven members of ISIS.”

The source, who asked anonymity, added: “The bombing also resulted in the destruction of the headquarters completely.”

Noteworthy, ISIS took over the city of Mosul in Nineveh Province (405 km north of Baghdad) in the tenth of June 2014, before extending its terrorist activities to many other areas in Iraq.

(IraqiNews.com) Salahaddin – A security source announced early on Wednesday, that the security forces managed to free 50 families who were withheld by the so-called ISIS as hostages north of Samarra south of Tikrit (170 km north of Baghdad).

The source said in a statement followed by IraqiNews.com, “This morning the security forces liberated 50 families who were withheld by ISIS elements as hostages near Leine area north of Samarra (40 km south of Tikrit).”

(IraqiNews.com) Anbar – A source in Anbar Operations Command announced on Wednesday, that the security forces repulsed ISIS attack on the headquarters of the security forces in southern Fallujah (62 km west of Baghdad), while pointed out to the death of 13 members of ISIS during the operation.

The source said in a brief statement obtained by IraqiNews.com, “Today the security forces were able to repel the attack of ISIS members on the military headquarters in the regions of al-Hitawin, al-Sada and Nuaimiya (22 km south of Fallujah), killing 13 ISIS militants.”

The source added, “The security forces managed to destroy four vehicles mounted with machine guns and missiles, in addition to a rocket launcher.”

(IraqiNews.com) al-Anbar – The commander of Anbar Operations Command, Maj. Gen. Ismail al-Mahalawi, announced on Wednesday the killing of 12 ISIS elements, including a senior military commander, north of Ramadi.

Mahalawi said in a statement followed by IraqiNews.com, “Elements belonging to ISIS tried to get close to the army forces of the 10th division in the area of al-hamediyah and Albu-Thiyab located north and east of Ramadi, resulting in the death of 12 ISIS elements, including the military and administrative officer for the region Abu Tabark Mafraji.”

He also added, “An army force belonging to the 1st regiment of the 31st division found three fortified tunnels for the ISIS in the area of al-fuhailat north of al-Ameriyat (23 km south of Fallujah),” noting that, “Those tunnels were destructed completely.”

(IraqiNews.com) Baghdad – A source in the Iraqi Ministry of Interior announced on Wednesday, that ten people had been either killed or wounded in a bomb blast southeast of Baghdad.

The source said in a statement followed by IraqiNews.com, “A bomb exploded, this morning, in Nahrawan area southeast of Baghdad, killing two people and wounding eight others.”

The source, who asked anonymity, added: “A security force rushed to the area and transferred the wounded to a nearby hospital for treatment and the dead bodies to the forensic medicine department, while an operation was carried out to search for the perpetrators of the bombing.”

(IraqiNews.com) Baghdad – A source in the Iraqi police said on Wednesday, that three civilians had been injured in a bomb blast in southern the capital Baghdad.

The source, who requested to remain anonymous, reported for IraqiNews.com, “A booby-trapped motorcycle that was parked on the side of the road exploded, today, targeting a gathering of civilians in the district of al-Mada’an located in southern Baghdad,” pointing out that, “The blast resulted in the injury of three civilians.”

“The security forces arrived in the area of the incident and transferred the injured to a nearby hospital for medical treatment,” the source added.

[ALMANAR.LB] The operations command in Samarra announced the killing of ISIL security commander in Samarra Island in Salahuddin province.

The command told Iraqi news agency, Furat News, that the Iraqi air force killed the bully boyz Hayawi Mohammad Khamis al-Nisyani along with his assistant Bashar al-Bazi and other 13 bully boyz in an Arclight airstrike south of Samarra Island, as it is called without being an island. The command noted that the strike was based on intelligence information.

Meanwhile on Wednesday, the Iraqi forces, backed by volunteer fighters managed to seize the oil refinery along with several surrounding points in the area, Iraqi media reported.

The operations commands also said that the Iraqi allied forces started on Wednesday the second stage of the military operation in Salahuddin which is aimed at purging ISIL terrorists.

[ALMANAR.LB] The leadership of the popular mobilization forces announced on Wednesday that they, backed by the Iraqi army, regained the area of Salahuddine Island from ISIL, controlling swathes of territories (thousands of kilometers).

Imam Ali Hadi (P) campaign which employed the Iraqi air force and special forces, continued to comb in search for the remnants of ISIL snuffies in the liberated areas before declaring the complete victory.

Two Israeli soldiers were lightly injured in a stabbing attack inside an Israeli settlement in the central West Bank Wednesday evening, the second such attack in the area in a day.

The stabbing took place after 7 p.m. at the entrance to the settlement of Har Bracha, south of Nablus, as two assailants attacked soldiers at the settlement guard booth, the IDF said.

After stabbing two soldiers, the attackers escaped the scene. Troops launched a large manhunt for the attackers and area residents were told to stay in their homes.

One victim suffered a wound to his shoulder and was taken to a hospital in Petah Tikva. The second soldier was treated for light injuries at the scene, according to the Magen David Adom rescue service.

Two Paleostinians were incarcerated... anything you say can and will be used against you, whether you say it or not... outside the nearby settlement of Yitzhar shortly after the stabbing, though they were not thought to have been linked to the Har Bracha attack.

[Ynet] Roi Harel stepped outside his home in the West Bank settlement of Eli on his way to reserve duty, when he saw two terrorists outside his home, carrying clubs. They managed to lightly wound Harel, who fought back and then locked himself and his family inside their home. The attackers were found and killed a short while later by IDF soldiers.

terrorists infiltrated the settlement of Eli in the West Bank early Wednesday morning, and attacked a local resident at his doorstep with clubs. They ran away but were killed by security forces soon after.

Roi Harel recounted the incident: "I was stepping out of the house, going to reserve duty, at around 5:00am," Harel told Ynet. "I opened the door, and saw two terrorists with hatred and anger in their eyes. They attacked me with clubs and axes, and entered my home. After a couple of seconds I came to, and I ran after them as they had almost reached my children's bedrooms. I managed to push them outside the house and I locked my door."

Harel was lightly wounded in the attack, later being evacuated to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem, receiving treatment for cuts to his head. "I was very shaken," he said, "It's not a simple feeling, especially because my wife and five children were inside the house. No I'm OK, and being treated."

The two terrorists were 17-year-olds from the village of Qaryut near Nablus. They are the 12th pair of terrorists to carry out attacks since the beginning of the current terror wave.

"If anyone has any doubts as to their intentions, two 17-year-olds came to slaughter me, my wife and my kids. In the seconds during which I fought with them, I thought to myself that what happened to theFogel and Gavish families. I screamed to my wife to call the settlement's guard, the children woke up and cried but my wife was with them in the bedroom, so they hardly saw anything."

While fleeing from the Harel home, the attackers broke the windows of several vehicles in the area. After that, they apparently hid, eventually deciding to continue with further attacks. They ran into IDF soldiers, and were killed.

[ARA News] ALEPPO – Syrian regime’s army mobilized Wednesday hundreds of troops and heavy weapons in the southern countryside of Aleppo, north Syria, in preparation to storm rebels’ positions in the area.

Forces loyal to the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad have take several towns in southern Aleppo as military bases, including the towns of al-Mrej and Khan Touman.

This was coupled with Russian fighter jets conducting sorties over Aleppo, military sources reported.

Speaking to ARA News in Aleppo, Saleh Zein, spokesman for the Levant Front (major rebel faction fighting in Aleppo), said that pro-Assad army units and allied Shiite militias were heavily mobilized in southern Aleppo.

“Pro-Assad forces are trying to take advantage of the current ceasefire to take over the entire southern countryside of Aleppo,” Zein said.

This comes after the regime’s army units lost ground to rebel factions in northeastern Aleppo.

“The regime intends to continue its advance south of Aleppo after recapturing main towns and villages from the rebels in the recent weeks,” local media activist Mustafa Sulaiman told ARA News. “The Russian sorties helped secure the movements of pro-Assad troops in the area on Wednesday.”

In the meantime, over 20 rebel fighters from the Levant Front were reportedly killed in Russian airstrikes.

Spokesman of the Levant Front said that their fighters responded to the strikes by bombing headquarters of pro-Assad forces in the al-Ayss town with a number of mortar shells, without giving further details.

[ALMANAR.LB] Hezbollah declared on Monday the martyrdom of Leader Ali Fayyad, aka Alaa of Bosnia, who was killed while answering the call of duty. Martyr Fayyad had a long Jihadi life, the latest badge of honor was his the military campaigns he led against the takfiri...an adherent of takfir wal hijra, an offshoot of Salafism that regards everybody who doesn't agree with them as apostates who most be killed... groups operating in Syria.

[ALMANAR.LB] Dozens of "Free Syrian Army... the more palatable version of the Syrian insurgency, heavily influenced by the Moslem Brüderbund..." terrorists, including a commander, were either killed or maimed after a huge blast rocked its headquarters in Ashe village in Quneitra countryside, according to Al-Manar news hound.

The Syrian army and allies continued on Wednesday their military operations against ISIL bully boyz in several provinces, inflicting heavy losses upon them.

Aleppo

An army unit restored stability and security to Fah village in the eastern countryside of Aleppo province after eliminating the remaining gatherings of ISIL bully boyz in it, a military source announced.

Army units then combed the village searching for bombs and bombs to remove them and fully secure the village.

The army’s air force targeted sites for ISIL bully boyz in al-Bab city, 38 km northeast of Aleppo city, inflicting heavy losses upon the bully boyz in personnel and equipment and destroying their positions and vehicles equipped with heavy machine guns.

In a relevant context, the Syrian General Command of the Army and Armed Forces called upon the locals of Keffin and Masqan towns in the northern countryside of the province to return to their houses after the areas were secured.

Homs

A series of sorties were carried out by the army’s air force targeting ISIL terrorists’ sites in al-Qaryatain city to the southeast of Homs city.

The military source clarified that fortifications and gatherings of ISIL bully boyz were directly hit in Tadmur city (Palmyra) in the eastern part of Homs province, with the bully boyz suffering heavy losses.

More ISIL positions were destroyed, along with vehicles equipped with machineguns, in army Arclight airstrikes in the villages of Um Sahreej, al-Shendakhiyeh al-Janoubiyeh, al-Shendakhiyeh al-Shamaliyeh, al-Msheirfeh al-Janoubiyeh, Unq al-Hawa and to the east of Jeb al-Jarrah town.

Suwaida

In southern Syria, An army unit destroyed 3 vehicles equipped with heavy machinegun belonging to ISIL bully boyz and killed a number of them in Dalfaa hill and the area surrounding it in the northeastern countryside of Suwaida province.

Another army unit destroyed a bulldozer that ISIL bully boyz were using in setting up fortifications and killed the bully boyz operating it in Asheiheb hill, northwest of Suwaida city.

[CBSNEWS] A new U.S. special operations team has been questioning a key Islamic State...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... of Iraq (ISIS) and Syria leader in Iraq since seizing him in a raid last month, U.S. officials said Wednesday. It is believed to be the first case of a top ISIS Lion of Islam captured alive in that country.Oh, I do hope they read him his Miranda rights.
The officials would not identify the Lion of Islam by name or provide other details, but the raid appears to be the first major success by the Pentagon's new expeditionary targeting force that recently began operating in Iraq. It aims to disrupt ISIS operations in Iraq and Syria and gather intelligence that can be used to conduct follow-on raids and strikes.

The Lion of Islam has been held in Iraq for two to three weeks, the officials said, calling the development important because of his leadership position in the holy warrior group and the information they could glean from him.

The officials weren't authorized to speak publicly about the raid and demanded anonymity. The New York Times...which still proudly displays Walter Duranty's Pulitzer prize..., also citing anonymous officials, was first to report the capture and said the Lion of Islam was being interrogated by American officials at a temporary detention facility in Irbil in northern Iraq.

Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook wouldn't confirm the capture, but said the goals of the new expeditionary targeting force include capturing ISIS leaders. "Any detention would be short-term and coordinated with Iraqi authorities," he said.

Defense Secretary Ash Carter has spoken about the team several times over the past few months but has emphasized his intention to keep a lid on details of its actual operations in Iraq and Syria. He told Congress in early December about the team's planned deployment, saying they would be there to conduct raids, free hostages, gather intelligence and capture ISIS leaders.

Using an alternative acronym for the ISIS, Carter said Monday the force would be part of accelerated military operations and used "to conduct raids of various kinds, seizing places and people, freeing hostages and prisoners of ISIL, and making it such that ISIL has to fear that anywhere, anytime, it may be struck."

He said the targeting force was "in position" and "having an effect and operating."

Col. Patrick Ryder, front man for U.S. Central Command, which is responsible for American military operations in the Middle East, declined to comment on the capture or detention of the Lion of Islam.

A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.

Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.

Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.